Evacuation: stay or go?
When official advice says stay put, when to leave straight away, and how to leave in minutes if you're told to go.
Told to leave: the first 10 minutes
- Leave straight away if your home is on fire (call 999) or flooding is a danger to life. Otherwise, in most emergencies, stay put unless the police, fire service or council tell you to go.
- When told to go, go promptly by the route you're given.
- Take your grab bag: medicines, first aid kit, documents, torch, water, warm waterproof clothes, phone and charger, cash.
- Turn off gas, electricity and water if it's safe and you know how. Never touch a switch while standing in water.
- Take your pets, and tell your out-of-area contact where you're going.
In danger? Call 999. Follow instructions from the emergency services, radio and GOV.UK: they come first.
From our guide We have to leave now: the first 10 minutes. Official sources: GOV.UK Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (grab bag) · GOV.UK Be Ready: flooding
Start here: the core guides
In reading order.
- We have to leave now: the first 10 minutesA fire, a flood warning, a gas leak or the police at the door telling you to go. What to do first, what to grab, what to switch off and where to go,…
- Stay or go? How evacuation decisions are made, and what you should doWhy most UK emergency advice is to stay in, the few situations where you leave straight away, who decides on an evacuation, where people go, and how…
- Unrest or rioting near your home: what to do, who to call, and how to claim for damageCalm, practical steps if disorder breaks out near you: stay away, stay in, when to call 999 or 101, keeping vulnerable neighbours supplied, and how…
- An emergency plan for flats: what's different, and what to askPlanning for an emergency in a flat starts with knowing your building's fire strategy. London Fire Brigade says your building's plan may be to stay…
- Home fire escape plan: how to make one your whole household knowsGOV.UK Be Ready advises fitting smoke alarms on every floor, testing them at least monthly, and planning and practising an escape route so everyone…
- Travel disruption: what to carry and what to do if you're strandedGOV.UK Be Ready's advice for travel disruption is to check for disruption and weather warnings before you set off, delay if you can, and tell someone…
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Also useful
- Bug out bag UK: what to pack, and when leaving makes senseA UK bug out bag (officially a grab bag) packed from GOV.UK Be Ready, the Environment Agency, Sweden's evacuation list and Ready.gov: what goes in,…
- How to make a go bag: a UK checklist you can printA printable UK go bag checklist built from GOV.UK Be Ready, the Environment Agency flood plan and Sweden's evacuation list: what to pack, where to…
- Grab bag list UK: what to pack if you have to leave homeA grab bag is a spare bag of essentials you can pick up if you have to leave home quickly, for example because of flooding. The government's Be Ready…
Official sources
- GOV.UK Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (grab bag, escape routes) (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
- GOV.UK Be Ready: flooding (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
- GOV.UK: Local resilience forums, contact details (read 1 Nov 2026 for our guide)
Official advice comes first. If a source says something different now, follow the source.